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The Once and Future Queen #1
Secrets of the Starcrossed
In a world where the Roman Empire never fell, two starcrossed lovers fight to ignite the spark of rebellion…
Londinium, the last stronghold of the Romans left in Britannia, remains in a delicate state of peace with the ancient kingdoms that surround it. As the only daughter of a powerful merchant, Cassandra is betrothed to Marcus, the most eligible bachelor in the city.
But then she meets Devyn, the boy with the strange midnight eyes searching for a girl with magic in her blood.
A boy who will make her believe in soulmates…
When a mysterious sickness starts to leech the life from citizens with Celtic power lying dormant in their veins, the imperial council sets their schemes in motion. And so Cassandra must make a choice: the Code or Chaos, science or sorcery, Marcus or Devyn?
Panem meets the Grishaverse in this explosive new YA trilogy perfect for readers of Marie Lu, Bella Forrest, and Cassandra Clare.
Londinium, the last stronghold of the Romans left in Britannia, remains in a delicate state of peace with the ancient kingdoms that surround it. As the only daughter of a powerful merchant, Cassandra is betrothed to Marcus, the most eligible bachelor in the city.
But then she meets Devyn, the boy with the strange midnight eyes searching for a girl with magic in her blood.
A boy who will make her believe in soulmates…
When a mysterious sickness starts to leech the life from citizens with Celtic power lying dormant in their veins, the imperial council sets their schemes in motion. And so Cassandra must make a choice: the Code or Chaos, science or sorcery, Marcus or Devyn?
Panem meets the Grishaverse in this explosive new YA trilogy perfect for readers of Marie Lu, Bella Forrest, and Cassandra Clare.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 21, 2021
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1818 people want to read
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did-not-finish
February 2, 2021This book was sent to me by the publisher for review. This in no way influences my opinion of the book.
I sadly decided to mark this book as a DNF (did not finish) at the 230 page mark. While I do think this book is a relatively engaging and easy read, something about the world building didn't stick with me. Occasionally there would be point where historical accounts would be introduced that seemed a bit info-dumpy, and I struggled to retain the information or see how it was entirely relevant. I understood the general basis of the conflict between societies/races of people, but when people started going into they lineage and such it just lost me. I couldn't seem to mould together the various influences, and it became clear to me that it would take a lot of convincing via the world building for me to see how things I already recognise separately (such as the Tudor dynasty, Roman Empire, and Celtic folklore) to be seen as one. Between this and the book not holding my interest throughout the month of January, I decided to set it aside, which is a shame.
I sadly decided to mark this book as a DNF (did not finish) at the 230 page mark. While I do think this book is a relatively engaging and easy read, something about the world building didn't stick with me. Occasionally there would be point where historical accounts would be introduced that seemed a bit info-dumpy, and I struggled to retain the information or see how it was entirely relevant. I understood the general basis of the conflict between societies/races of people, but when people started going into they lineage and such it just lost me. I couldn't seem to mould together the various influences, and it became clear to me that it would take a lot of convincing via the world building for me to see how things I already recognise separately (such as the Tudor dynasty, Roman Empire, and Celtic folklore) to be seen as one. Between this and the book not holding my interest throughout the month of January, I decided to set it aside, which is a shame.
January 4, 2021
GREAT PREMISE BUT THAT'S ABOUT IT
Actual rating: 2.5 ⭐
Honestly, this was not a bad book. It really wasn't. It just wasn't all that it could have been. It really had potential to be good. It started out as something that was going to be good. But it lost momentum about halfway through and it didn't pick up again in my opinion.
👍 What I Liked 👍
Premise: A world were the Roman empire never collapsed on itself. It persisted all the way up to our present day and further. That's the premise of this book and that really appealed to me. It was a thought provoking premise that could have been turned into something really good.
👎 What I Disliked 👎
Inaccurate: If there's one thing I absolutely loathe and cannot discount it is something inaccurate. And I found such a thing in this book. This is a proposed Roman society. And yet... the people in this world say "to Hades"! Hades is a Greek god. The Romans would have said "to Pluto".
Pace: At first I didn't mind the pace because I was enjoying the world building. But soon the world building failed and so did the pace. It was just too slow and drawn out.
World building: Again, at first the world building was intriguing and interesting. But that didn't last. It's obvious that O'Connor has built a very wide and complex universe in her mind. But I really don't think she did a good enough job of explaining and laying down her world. It got confusing.
Romance: Devyn and Cassandra are drawn to each other. And then they are not. And then they are. And then they are not. And then they are. And then they are not. Must I continue?
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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Blog Post: 9 Hallmark-esque Christmas Romance Books
Actual rating: 2.5 ⭐
Honestly, this was not a bad book. It really wasn't. It just wasn't all that it could have been. It really had potential to be good. It started out as something that was going to be good. But it lost momentum about halfway through and it didn't pick up again in my opinion.
👍 What I Liked 👍
Premise: A world were the Roman empire never collapsed on itself. It persisted all the way up to our present day and further. That's the premise of this book and that really appealed to me. It was a thought provoking premise that could have been turned into something really good.
👎 What I Disliked 👎
Inaccurate: If there's one thing I absolutely loathe and cannot discount it is something inaccurate. And I found such a thing in this book. This is a proposed Roman society. And yet... the people in this world say "to Hades"! Hades is a Greek god. The Romans would have said "to Pluto".
Pace: At first I didn't mind the pace because I was enjoying the world building. But soon the world building failed and so did the pace. It was just too slow and drawn out.
World building: Again, at first the world building was intriguing and interesting. But that didn't last. It's obvious that O'Connor has built a very wide and complex universe in her mind. But I really don't think she did a good enough job of explaining and laying down her world. It got confusing.
Romance: Devyn and Cassandra are drawn to each other. And then they are not. And then they are. And then they are not. And then they are. And then they are not. Must I continue?
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Follow me for more book loving content!
Blog ✨ Facebook ✨ Instagram ✨ Twitter
Blog Post: 9 Hallmark-esque Christmas Romance Books
November 23, 2020
Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Secrets of the Starcrossed in exchange for an honest review.
First off, the world here was so interesting I just wish it wasn't framed as a backdrop for a couple that I hated. Cassandra is your standard "good girl finds out world isn't as good as she thought" so we're not going to talk about her a lot but one of her two main love interests Devyn made me want to scream.
At first I was just going to give this a slightly below average rating because a lot of the things I hated about Devyn were things I know other people are into. He calls Cassandra "little girl" and "Papa's little princess" (in reference to her father. He's not calling himself papa and later shortens it to princess) which just... I get Baby is normalized but little girl has always read as not only incredibly condescending but also super creepy. Devyn and Cassandra are also a 4 year age gap couple which is fine I guess since they're in their twenties (although highkey I'm so sure they were originally teenagers that got aged up because of said age gap because the book treats them like teens) but it turns out when they first met Cassandra was 12 and Devyn was a 16 year old pretending to be 12 to get closer to her and just... every time he used condescending language my brain forced me to remember that and it was not a good time. Anyways like I said, I get that kind of guy is genuinely people's type so here's your warning that the next paragraph where I reveal what made me big time want to slap Devyn has spoilers.
Drugs! That's the spoiler. Cassandra and Devyn have their first kiss in the right headspace then he's all "no we can't be together" but then when they get a lot more physically intimate for the first time it's established that Cassandra is trying to seduce him while on drugs that are meant to make her hypersexual. Cassandra acknowledges it, Devyn acknowledges it, and I was all ready to be annoyed that this book was going to have a "no, I might be an asshole but I won't take advantage of you" scene to try and redeem all of Devyn's earlier crappiness but then I got even more furious because he very quickly is like "hmmm... if you insist."
I'm so frustrated. I loved the world and themes being set up here. I wanted to explore them. But everything in this book is so tightly wrapped up in Devyn's character and he was just so awful that he tainted everything for me.
First off, the world here was so interesting I just wish it wasn't framed as a backdrop for a couple that I hated. Cassandra is your standard "good girl finds out world isn't as good as she thought" so we're not going to talk about her a lot but one of her two main love interests Devyn made me want to scream.
At first I was just going to give this a slightly below average rating because a lot of the things I hated about Devyn were things I know other people are into. He calls Cassandra "little girl" and "Papa's little princess" (in reference to her father. He's not calling himself papa and later shortens it to princess) which just... I get Baby is normalized but little girl has always read as not only incredibly condescending but also super creepy. Devyn and Cassandra are also a 4 year age gap couple which is fine I guess since they're in their twenties (although highkey I'm so sure they were originally teenagers that got aged up because of said age gap because the book treats them like teens) but it turns out when they first met Cassandra was 12 and Devyn was a 16 year old pretending to be 12 to get closer to her and just... every time he used condescending language my brain forced me to remember that and it was not a good time. Anyways like I said, I get that kind of guy is genuinely people's type so here's your warning that the next paragraph where I reveal what made me big time want to slap Devyn has spoilers.
Drugs! That's the spoiler. Cassandra and Devyn have their first kiss in the right headspace then he's all "no we can't be together" but then when they get a lot more physically intimate for the first time it's established that Cassandra is trying to seduce him while on drugs that are meant to make her hypersexual. Cassandra acknowledges it, Devyn acknowledges it, and I was all ready to be annoyed that this book was going to have a "no, I might be an asshole but I won't take advantage of you" scene to try and redeem all of Devyn's earlier crappiness but then I got even more furious because he very quickly is like "hmmm... if you insist."
I'm so frustrated. I loved the world and themes being set up here. I wanted to explore them. But everything in this book is so tightly wrapped up in Devyn's character and he was just so awful that he tainted everything for me.
January 13, 2021
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Cassandra has everything she could wish for. Her father is a powerful merchant and she is betrothed to the most eligible bachelor in Londinium.
Things start to change when she crosses paths with a strange boy who is on a quest to find a missing girl.
Meanwhile an unexplained illness is making its way through the city. The illness only seems to be targeting those who have Celtic magic in their blood.
Cassandra will soon discover that she does not live in the haven she once thought she did and she will be forced to make some choices that test everything she once believed in.
What I liked about this book
The concept is really interesting. The Roman Empire didn't fall and some of them live in a walled city within Britannia.
The author references real historical places and people throughout the story.
I enjoyed the romance between Cass and Devyn.
I found the use of both magic and technology intriguing.
What I didn't like
It takes a long time for the story to build up.
There is very little in the way of explanation. There is a lot of speculation but not very much confirmation (if that makes sense). After finishing the book, I felt like I still had no idea what's going on.
This is the first instalment in the series so a cliff hanger ending was to be expected, but I feel like the ending is really abrupt.
It took me a long time to get into this book but once I did I couldn't put it down. I flew through the last 50% but I was quite disappointed by the end. Though I do think I would read the next instalment to see where the story goes.
3 stars
✮✮✮
Find this review and others on my blog
Cassandra has everything she could wish for. Her father is a powerful merchant and she is betrothed to the most eligible bachelor in Londinium.
Things start to change when she crosses paths with a strange boy who is on a quest to find a missing girl.
Meanwhile an unexplained illness is making its way through the city. The illness only seems to be targeting those who have Celtic magic in their blood.
Cassandra will soon discover that she does not live in the haven she once thought she did and she will be forced to make some choices that test everything she once believed in.
What I liked about this book
The concept is really interesting. The Roman Empire didn't fall and some of them live in a walled city within Britannia.
The author references real historical places and people throughout the story.
I enjoyed the romance between Cass and Devyn.
I found the use of both magic and technology intriguing.
What I didn't like
It takes a long time for the story to build up.
There is very little in the way of explanation. There is a lot of speculation but not very much confirmation (if that makes sense). After finishing the book, I felt like I still had no idea what's going on.
This is the first instalment in the series so a cliff hanger ending was to be expected, but I feel like the ending is really abrupt.
It took me a long time to get into this book but once I did I couldn't put it down. I flew through the last 50% but I was quite disappointed by the end. Though I do think I would read the next instalment to see where the story goes.
3 stars
✮✮✮
Find this review and others on my blog
May 6, 2021
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.
The world building was incredibly confusing and hard to grasp.
Things moved ridiculously quickly with the romance and flirting. There is a love triangle but for most of the story one half of the love triangle is absent… which makes it very apparent who she is going to choose.
I found the main character quite annoying.
The second half of the book is better than the first half.
It was predictable in some ways, but the pacing was quite fast so it never got boring. Nothing happens easily. Which means there is some suspense and tension to the storyline.
Nonetheless, it was quite addictive reading. It was easy to get through, even if it was not necessarily good.
The writing style wasn’t one for me personally.
The world building was incredibly confusing and hard to grasp.
Things moved ridiculously quickly with the romance and flirting. There is a love triangle but for most of the story one half of the love triangle is absent… which makes it very apparent who she is going to choose.
I found the main character quite annoying.
The second half of the book is better than the first half.
It was predictable in some ways, but the pacing was quite fast so it never got boring. Nothing happens easily. Which means there is some suspense and tension to the storyline.
Nonetheless, it was quite addictive reading. It was easy to get through, even if it was not necessarily good.
The writing style wasn’t one for me personally.
January 28, 2021
4 stars!
First things first, I was absolutely not prepared for how wild this was going to be. The premise is incredibly intriguing on its own but honestly reading this book was a whole wild ride.
This book is based in a futuristic world where the Roman Empire never fell. Cassandra, the only daughter of a powerful merchant in Londinium, is betrothed to Marcus, the most eligible bachelor in town. Cassandra has always been the perfect daughter, the perfect citizen, the perfect follower of the Code - that is until she begins to grow closer to Devyn, a mysterious boy looking for a girl with magic.
At the beginning of this story it very much felt like a dystopian book to me and honestly I really enjoyed that. I think I enjoyed the world building and the mystery and the intrigue around how everything works much more fascinating. There’s a Code, and strict rules to be followed and everyone is watched at all times? Sign me up! But then the fantasy side starts to show and it all just adds up to something much bigger than what I was originally expecting. Hidden powers? Forbidden magic? Emotion-led magic outbursts? Double sign me up!
As a first book in a series, this sets up everything quite well. There’s a strong introduction, enough revelations about the outside world and the magic system but not too much that would prevent us from having much more to look forward to in upcoming sequels!
One of the few things I struggled with at the beginning of this book was the romance between Devyn and Cassandra, as it felt a little too sudden for me. However, as the story developed I became much more invested and my originally worries dissipated.
This is a fast paced, intriguing, entertaining read with lots and lots to uncover. Overall a very strong beginning to this series and I’m excited to see where it leads!
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an ARC.
First things first, I was absolutely not prepared for how wild this was going to be. The premise is incredibly intriguing on its own but honestly reading this book was a whole wild ride.
This book is based in a futuristic world where the Roman Empire never fell. Cassandra, the only daughter of a powerful merchant in Londinium, is betrothed to Marcus, the most eligible bachelor in town. Cassandra has always been the perfect daughter, the perfect citizen, the perfect follower of the Code - that is until she begins to grow closer to Devyn, a mysterious boy looking for a girl with magic.
At the beginning of this story it very much felt like a dystopian book to me and honestly I really enjoyed that. I think I enjoyed the world building and the mystery and the intrigue around how everything works much more fascinating. There’s a Code, and strict rules to be followed and everyone is watched at all times? Sign me up! But then the fantasy side starts to show and it all just adds up to something much bigger than what I was originally expecting. Hidden powers? Forbidden magic? Emotion-led magic outbursts? Double sign me up!
As a first book in a series, this sets up everything quite well. There’s a strong introduction, enough revelations about the outside world and the magic system but not too much that would prevent us from having much more to look forward to in upcoming sequels!
One of the few things I struggled with at the beginning of this book was the romance between Devyn and Cassandra, as it felt a little too sudden for me. However, as the story developed I became much more invested and my originally worries dissipated.
This is a fast paced, intriguing, entertaining read with lots and lots to uncover. Overall a very strong beginning to this series and I’m excited to see where it leads!
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an ARC.
February 19, 2021
I have received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Secrets of the Starcrossed was one of those books that had it's boring moments but I also couldn't look away or put it down. I just feel like it had potential to be a lot better though. Don't get me wrong, I was entertained for most of this book but the whole love triangle thing just threw me off. They never really work for me anymore and I honestly didn't really care who she ended up with or without.
Plus the whole push/pull thing for romances is completely overrated for me and it's just annoying as well.
Then there's the pace and the world building. Eh, they were okay but also had potential to be better. I feel like if the pace was more consistent then I probably would've devoured this all in one sitting without little breaks here and there. As for the world building, I definitely needed more in this one so I'm hoping that the second book might have it? Just to redeem itself (in a way)
In the end, I already have the next book so I might as well dive into it and see if things get better. Especially after that little cliffhanger..
Secrets of the Starcrossed was one of those books that had it's boring moments but I also couldn't look away or put it down. I just feel like it had potential to be a lot better though. Don't get me wrong, I was entertained for most of this book but the whole love triangle thing just threw me off. They never really work for me anymore and I honestly didn't really care who she ended up with or without.
Plus the whole push/pull thing for romances is completely overrated for me and it's just annoying as well.
Then there's the pace and the world building. Eh, they were okay but also had potential to be better. I feel like if the pace was more consistent then I probably would've devoured this all in one sitting without little breaks here and there. As for the world building, I definitely needed more in this one so I'm hoping that the second book might have it? Just to redeem itself (in a way)
In the end, I already have the next book so I might as well dive into it and see if things get better. Especially after that little cliffhanger..
January 20, 2021
2.5 stars
I have a lot of mixed feelings about his book. I really enjoyed it and at the same time it left me feeling frustrated. I have decided to split this review in things I liked and didn't like about this book
Things I liked about this book
• I love the writing style. It's very to the point, straight forward and gives you a good look into the feelings of our main character. I really liked the way Clara told the story and would definitely read more from this author.
• I enjoyed the characters in this book. It's true that the characters are all very stereotype characters we have seen in numerous books before. But they were still very likeable and I liked spending time with them.
• The story in the beginning had a great potential to being great. I was drawn into the story from the start and really enjoyed it. The story was exciting, it felt a little similar to other stories, but not in a bad way. I really felt I started a great book and was already getting excited at the prospect of it being the first book in a trilogy.
What I didn't like about this book
• Continuing on the story, I loved it until the second half of the book. The story started to drag and actually became repetitive. A couple of people try to get out of the city. So the story is being build towards them making plans of escape, trying to escape and getting captured. This is then repeated until the end of the book. It occurs, out the top of my head, about three or four times! When they tried escaping for the second time I was like "escape already so we can continue with the story." Because the story kind of got to an stand still in the second half of the book and apparently you have to wait for the sequel to know how things go...
• The biggest turn of for me was the worldbuilding. The world started off as something great and interesting. An alternate version of our own world where the Roman Empire endured and it is set in the future with technology. Great setting! But then the writer had to include more... The medieval times are being thrown into the story with the war of the roses and the Plantagenets. Oh and not to forget Arthurian legends like the Lady of the Lake are mixed into the world and story. If the Roman Empire had endured you wouldn't had have the medieval times... Why not use Roman legends and kings or emperors? Why medieval ones? And on top of this apparently they believe in Greek Gods???? Greek mythology is thrown into the mix as well. They keep using Greek Gods in the matter of speech. "To Hades with you... etc" Why? Why did this beautiful concept needed to be so confusing. As an historian I am just confused and find this mix unbelievable and weird. Especially since this is supposed to be an alternate version of our world where the Roman Empire endured. Why are the facts so weird?
I was super excited for this world, but I am left feeling disappointed. This world would have been amazing if it only concentrated on one element of history instead of several.
That being said, this is just my personal opinion. I do understand that other people will not get frustrated with the world, because they don't care or don't know enough about history to notice all the weird things. For me it was also the only let down of this book. Yes the story got repetitive, but I did not mind that as much as the worldbuilding.
Even though I am frustrated with the world the writing style, the characters and the beginning of the story show huge potential. This is also the reason why I want to read the sequel, just to see if the potential of this story will be reached. Because I believe this could be something really good.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about his book. I really enjoyed it and at the same time it left me feeling frustrated. I have decided to split this review in things I liked and didn't like about this book
Things I liked about this book
• I love the writing style. It's very to the point, straight forward and gives you a good look into the feelings of our main character. I really liked the way Clara told the story and would definitely read more from this author.
• I enjoyed the characters in this book. It's true that the characters are all very stereotype characters we have seen in numerous books before. But they were still very likeable and I liked spending time with them.
• The story in the beginning had a great potential to being great. I was drawn into the story from the start and really enjoyed it. The story was exciting, it felt a little similar to other stories, but not in a bad way. I really felt I started a great book and was already getting excited at the prospect of it being the first book in a trilogy.
What I didn't like about this book
• Continuing on the story, I loved it until the second half of the book. The story started to drag and actually became repetitive. A couple of people try to get out of the city. So the story is being build towards them making plans of escape, trying to escape and getting captured. This is then repeated until the end of the book. It occurs, out the top of my head, about three or four times! When they tried escaping for the second time I was like "escape already so we can continue with the story." Because the story kind of got to an stand still in the second half of the book and apparently you have to wait for the sequel to know how things go...
• The biggest turn of for me was the worldbuilding. The world started off as something great and interesting. An alternate version of our own world where the Roman Empire endured and it is set in the future with technology. Great setting! But then the writer had to include more... The medieval times are being thrown into the story with the war of the roses and the Plantagenets. Oh and not to forget Arthurian legends like the Lady of the Lake are mixed into the world and story. If the Roman Empire had endured you wouldn't had have the medieval times... Why not use Roman legends and kings or emperors? Why medieval ones? And on top of this apparently they believe in Greek Gods???? Greek mythology is thrown into the mix as well. They keep using Greek Gods in the matter of speech. "To Hades with you... etc" Why? Why did this beautiful concept needed to be so confusing. As an historian I am just confused and find this mix unbelievable and weird. Especially since this is supposed to be an alternate version of our world where the Roman Empire endured. Why are the facts so weird?
I was super excited for this world, but I am left feeling disappointed. This world would have been amazing if it only concentrated on one element of history instead of several.
That being said, this is just my personal opinion. I do understand that other people will not get frustrated with the world, because they don't care or don't know enough about history to notice all the weird things. For me it was also the only let down of this book. Yes the story got repetitive, but I did not mind that as much as the worldbuilding.
Even though I am frustrated with the world the writing style, the characters and the beginning of the story show huge potential. This is also the reason why I want to read the sequel, just to see if the potential of this story will be reached. Because I believe this could be something really good.
November 29, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
It's very rare that I give a book 2 days. I could not get into his book at all and had to force myself through it. The storyline didn't interest me at all and the MC seemed to lack maturity despite being an adult. The dialogue seemed forced and so I was not able to relate to the characters or imagine what they would sound like. The plot could have done with a lot more work before being written. It just didn't flow the way I expected it to.
The concept of the story was good, by the story itself, not so much.
It's very rare that I give a book 2 days. I could not get into his book at all and had to force myself through it. The storyline didn't interest me at all and the MC seemed to lack maturity despite being an adult. The dialogue seemed forced and so I was not able to relate to the characters or imagine what they would sound like. The plot could have done with a lot more work before being written. It just didn't flow the way I expected it to.
The concept of the story was good, by the story itself, not so much.
March 4, 2021
2.5 stars
I kept seeing tags for this that said 'For fans of Hunger Games' so I got excited to check this book out. I can see some similarities, a dystopian society where the government has absolute control, a secret rebellion, and a girl who is special in some way. But this didn't grip me like the other series did and I didn't feel like this had a unique plot. I would have liked a bigger twist to this and more action to keep me interested. In the end, I skimmed a lot because so much of it wasn't relevant. I think this and the sequel could probably be combined into one book.
Cassandra lives the life of a wealthy young woman, she's kind of materialistic and doesn't question how things work in her society. The racism and huge gap between the rich and poor don't bother her because that's just the way things are. Cass comes across as a sixteen year old girl and I kept forgetting she was supposed to be twenty two. She's immature for her age and I wish she'd been written as a teenager instead.
Devyn is an interesting character, but I didn't like that he refused to tell Cass anything. He kept all these secrets and I wasn't exactly sure why. Even at the end, he kept telling Cass they couldn't be together even though they're clearly in love and wouldn't say why. I wish we'd gotten to know more about his past, but hopefully that will come in the next book.
The pacing is slow and not much happens until the very end. I am going to read the sequel since I already have a copy and I'm looking forward to more action.
I kept seeing tags for this that said 'For fans of Hunger Games' so I got excited to check this book out. I can see some similarities, a dystopian society where the government has absolute control, a secret rebellion, and a girl who is special in some way. But this didn't grip me like the other series did and I didn't feel like this had a unique plot. I would have liked a bigger twist to this and more action to keep me interested. In the end, I skimmed a lot because so much of it wasn't relevant. I think this and the sequel could probably be combined into one book.
Cassandra lives the life of a wealthy young woman, she's kind of materialistic and doesn't question how things work in her society. The racism and huge gap between the rich and poor don't bother her because that's just the way things are. Cass comes across as a sixteen year old girl and I kept forgetting she was supposed to be twenty two. She's immature for her age and I wish she'd been written as a teenager instead.
Devyn is an interesting character, but I didn't like that he refused to tell Cass anything. He kept all these secrets and I wasn't exactly sure why. Even at the end, he kept telling Cass they couldn't be together even though they're clearly in love and wouldn't say why. I wish we'd gotten to know more about his past, but hopefully that will come in the next book.
The pacing is slow and not much happens until the very end. I am going to read the sequel since I already have a copy and I'm looking forward to more action.
September 21, 2020
Quite frankly, this book was disappointing. I should know by now not to trust what a book is compared to, but this blurb mentioned three of my favorites. I mean, how can a book that's compared to Panem, the Grishaverse, and Marie Lu go wrong? While not necessarily bad, this book answered that question.
First off, the worldbuilding in this was super confusing. It's based on history, but with some events removed, and others added. As someone who's already unfamiliar with European history, this just confused me more. I understood bits and pieces, but I'm still confused as to all of the different kingdoms and why things are the way they are. It felt to me like a lot of different groups were thrown together, and the author just decided to work with it.
I think I also had preconceived notions of what this book would be like, and both of them were wrong. Considering this was called The Once and Future Queen, I expected familiar characters, or at least an Arthurian feel. Sadly, this book had neither. I feel like there may have been a few nods to the original tale, but I was also looking super hard for them.
I also expected this to really showcase Ireland and its beliefs, which excited me, because I'm always looking to learn more about my heritage. Some Celtic beliefs and icons were thrown in, but they weren't super prominent. Considering the Celtic knot on the cover, I really expected more.
My main problem with this book was the insta-love, and connected love triangle. I really need to stop reading books that have the theme of soulmates or matches, because they always frustrate me. I love slow burn romances, and books with soulmates always seem to use it to establish insta-love. Despite having gone to school together for years, Cass saw Devyn, and was instantly in love. This was just so hard for me to read, because their attraction was super over the top.
I've read a few books with love triangles that were written super well, and this was not one of them. It was pretty tropey, you have the prearranged marriage, and the new love. I was honestly rooting for Marcus, I actually really liked him. I really loved Devyn and Marcus, but the love triangle was just a bit much.
I read this book pretty fast, considering that the plot is fairly nonexistent. This book was mainly used to set up conflicts for the other books in the series, and while I understand that, this book was just a bit too long. I wouldn't say that it was romance driven, but the love triangle definitely got a lot of page time.
The painful part of this was that the book just had so much potential. I loved the characters, and the idea behind this, but I just found that the execution fell a bit short. I'll probably be looking for the next books in the series, if only to see if the potential is fulfilled.
Thanks to Clara O'Connor and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review
First off, the worldbuilding in this was super confusing. It's based on history, but with some events removed, and others added. As someone who's already unfamiliar with European history, this just confused me more. I understood bits and pieces, but I'm still confused as to all of the different kingdoms and why things are the way they are. It felt to me like a lot of different groups were thrown together, and the author just decided to work with it.
I think I also had preconceived notions of what this book would be like, and both of them were wrong. Considering this was called The Once and Future Queen, I expected familiar characters, or at least an Arthurian feel. Sadly, this book had neither. I feel like there may have been a few nods to the original tale, but I was also looking super hard for them.
I also expected this to really showcase Ireland and its beliefs, which excited me, because I'm always looking to learn more about my heritage. Some Celtic beliefs and icons were thrown in, but they weren't super prominent. Considering the Celtic knot on the cover, I really expected more.
My main problem with this book was the insta-love, and connected love triangle. I really need to stop reading books that have the theme of soulmates or matches, because they always frustrate me. I love slow burn romances, and books with soulmates always seem to use it to establish insta-love. Despite having gone to school together for years, Cass saw Devyn, and was instantly in love. This was just so hard for me to read, because their attraction was super over the top.
I've read a few books with love triangles that were written super well, and this was not one of them. It was pretty tropey, you have the prearranged marriage, and the new love. I was honestly rooting for Marcus, I actually really liked him. I really loved Devyn and Marcus, but the love triangle was just a bit much.
I read this book pretty fast, considering that the plot is fairly nonexistent. This book was mainly used to set up conflicts for the other books in the series, and while I understand that, this book was just a bit too long. I wouldn't say that it was romance driven, but the love triangle definitely got a lot of page time.
The painful part of this was that the book just had so much potential. I loved the characters, and the idea behind this, but I just found that the execution fell a bit short. I'll probably be looking for the next books in the series, if only to see if the potential is fulfilled.
Thanks to Clara O'Connor and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review
October 28, 2020
I need the second instalment now! Clara O'Connor has a new fan in me because WOW. In a dystopian world where the Roman Empire never fell, Cassandra finds herself thrust into a world of diplomacy, danger and magic. There is a strong romance element in this and it's quite possibly one of my favourite relationships. The intersection between the Roman world and modernity is handled impeccably and there is huge detail in the world building. An entire alternative history was invented for this world and it has a serious bearing on the plot. There is a definite critique of the surveillance state, especially in relation to consumerism, something we can clearly see in our own world only adding to the experience of this book. I will definitely be keeping up with this series and I'm so happy I found it.
One teeny tiny critique is a repeated reference to 'Hades'. As this book takes place in a Roman world it should really have been 'Pluto'. I'm not entirely sure if this was done intentionally or not but every other reference was accurate, this was just a small detail that would pull me out of the plot whenever I came across it. However given the amount of mythologies this book blends together, it does an excellent job at maintaining accuracy.
One teeny tiny critique is a repeated reference to 'Hades'. As this book takes place in a Roman world it should really have been 'Pluto'. I'm not entirely sure if this was done intentionally or not but every other reference was accurate, this was just a small detail that would pull me out of the plot whenever I came across it. However given the amount of mythologies this book blends together, it does an excellent job at maintaining accuracy.
May 30, 2021
This book was a lot of fun. It wasn’t perfect, and it’s not one I’m going to be thinking a lot about, but it’s absolutely great if you’re looking for turn-off-your-brain empty-calories reading.
The premise of this book, to start with, is that the Roman Empire never fell, and Londinium is the westernmost outpost of Roman power. Only the southeastern part of Britain is under Imperial rule; the rest of the island was able to throw off the Roman yoke thanks to the magic that the Britons can wield. They exist in a stable yet uneasy truce, with advanced Roman technology able to keep Londinium secure.
Our protagonist is Cassandra, daughter of one of Londinium’s elite, coming of age and soon to enter into her arranged marriage with the city’s most eligible bachelor. Her life is, by general consensus, more or less perfect - until, acting on an impulse she doesn’t really understand, she helps one of her classmates hide his illegal piece of tech before the city’s praetor’s can catch him with it. She gets swept up in a web of intrigue and romance, caught up in the machinations of Londinium’s elite and the native British kingdoms beyond the Imperial borders.
It sounds rather cliche, and if I’m being honest I played it up a bit in writing that. But as I said, this isn’t a book you read for anything groundbreaking - this is a book you read because it is pure *fun*. I got really, really invested in Cassandra really, really quickly. This was an extremely hard book to put down.
That being said, there were other things that annoyed me. The worldbuilding is something of a mess (over a millennium of alternate history and the West End is still not only a thing, but a theatre district?) and doesn’t really bear up to more than a cursory glance. The characters, especially the love interest Devyn, spend a lot of time holding the idiot ball. Cassandra, Devyn, and Cassandra’s fiance Marcus are the only characters with any real depth. And the book ends on a cliffhanger, and I despise cliffhangers (fortunately I have book 2 already).
But despite all of that, I could. Not. Put. This. Down. And in the end, if a book leaves you wanting more, that’s a book worth reading.
The premise of this book, to start with, is that the Roman Empire never fell, and Londinium is the westernmost outpost of Roman power. Only the southeastern part of Britain is under Imperial rule; the rest of the island was able to throw off the Roman yoke thanks to the magic that the Britons can wield. They exist in a stable yet uneasy truce, with advanced Roman technology able to keep Londinium secure.
Our protagonist is Cassandra, daughter of one of Londinium’s elite, coming of age and soon to enter into her arranged marriage with the city’s most eligible bachelor. Her life is, by general consensus, more or less perfect - until, acting on an impulse she doesn’t really understand, she helps one of her classmates hide his illegal piece of tech before the city’s praetor’s can catch him with it. She gets swept up in a web of intrigue and romance, caught up in the machinations of Londinium’s elite and the native British kingdoms beyond the Imperial borders.
It sounds rather cliche, and if I’m being honest I played it up a bit in writing that. But as I said, this isn’t a book you read for anything groundbreaking - this is a book you read because it is pure *fun*. I got really, really invested in Cassandra really, really quickly. This was an extremely hard book to put down.
That being said, there were other things that annoyed me. The worldbuilding is something of a mess (over a millennium of alternate history and the West End is still not only a thing, but a theatre district?) and doesn’t really bear up to more than a cursory glance. The characters, especially the love interest Devyn, spend a lot of time holding the idiot ball. Cassandra, Devyn, and Cassandra’s fiance Marcus are the only characters with any real depth. And the book ends on a cliffhanger, and I despise cliffhangers (fortunately I have book 2 already).
But despite all of that, I could. Not. Put. This. Down. And in the end, if a book leaves you wanting more, that’s a book worth reading.
January 9, 2021
***Digital ARC provided by HarperCollins UK One More Chapter through Netgalley***
Thank you to the HarperCollins UK One More Chapter team for providing this digital ARC for review!
What immediately caught my eye when reading the description for this book was how it was recommended for fans of The Hunger Games, the Grishaverse, and Marie Lu, among others, and I was so happy while reading to find out that that was completely right.
If there is a way to start a series, this is it. Every page turn had me wanting to find out more as the story progressed—I was completely enthralled by the story’s world-building within an alternate dystopian Roman Empire and the forbidden relationship between Cassandra and Devyn. Before this book, I had never read anything having to do with Celtic legends and myths and I found myself so interested as Cassandra finds herself deciding between the life she’s always known, the perfect daughter of a wealthy merchant in a world with a strong moral code, and the life that Devyn introduces her to that might have been hers all along.
The book had plenty of plot twists and turns throughout that kept me reading, and while Cassandra’s character sometimes fell flat, it eventually grew into something more as she learned about the truth of the world within the walls that she’s always known and the world outside that has always been off-limits. The fact that the main character was around my age (early twenties) was something I really liked as most YA fantasy novels have a much younger set of characters. This also allowed for more mature themes at times throughout the exploration of Cass and Devyn’s forbidden relationship.
I truly cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of Clara O’Connor’s 'The Once and Future Queen' series—especially after that cliffhanger! #omcreads
Thank you to the HarperCollins UK One More Chapter team for providing this digital ARC for review!
What immediately caught my eye when reading the description for this book was how it was recommended for fans of The Hunger Games, the Grishaverse, and Marie Lu, among others, and I was so happy while reading to find out that that was completely right.
If there is a way to start a series, this is it. Every page turn had me wanting to find out more as the story progressed—I was completely enthralled by the story’s world-building within an alternate dystopian Roman Empire and the forbidden relationship between Cassandra and Devyn. Before this book, I had never read anything having to do with Celtic legends and myths and I found myself so interested as Cassandra finds herself deciding between the life she’s always known, the perfect daughter of a wealthy merchant in a world with a strong moral code, and the life that Devyn introduces her to that might have been hers all along.
The book had plenty of plot twists and turns throughout that kept me reading, and while Cassandra’s character sometimes fell flat, it eventually grew into something more as she learned about the truth of the world within the walls that she’s always known and the world outside that has always been off-limits. The fact that the main character was around my age (early twenties) was something I really liked as most YA fantasy novels have a much younger set of characters. This also allowed for more mature themes at times throughout the exploration of Cass and Devyn’s forbidden relationship.
I truly cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of Clara O’Connor’s 'The Once and Future Queen' series—especially after that cliffhanger! #omcreads
Read
December 16, 2020Big nope. RTC.
December 15, 2020
15/12/2- Edit
Since this book, I've read a lot more fantasy and find myself comparing to this one! I think I appreciate much more how great this is as a debut and how the story develops. I've therefore upped my rating and I wanted to read the next book anyway, but now I'm looking forward to it even more. I think it's good to be honest and reflect if/when your mind changes.
Original Review
Hmm, this book promised so much but I don't think it fully delivered unfortunately.
Cassandra lives in a dystopian, Romanesque world, in the capital of England, Londinium as one of the 'elite' and has access to all of the finer things in life. She is your typical innocent and oblivious "do gooder" type character. In a world where you are 'matched' at a young age, Cassandra cannot believe her luck that her future husband is Marcus, arguably the most eligible bachelor in Londinium. However, she then meets Devyn, the mysterious boy who has been drifting in the background throughout her school years. Through a random incident, Cassandra finds herself introduced to a whole new world outside of the perfect code she follows. Devyn introduces her to some dangers, chaos and reality about the world outside of the Londinium walls and an insight into who she truly is.
I am so conflicted about whether I enjoyed Secrets of the Starcrossed or not. The history and magic system is extremely confusing and complicated and for me, fills too many pages in this book. Yes, we need story and world building but honestly it was waaay too much for me. I re-read some paragraphs several times and still didn't understand the history or the relevance. It was just too much and a couple of times I felt my eyes glazing over and had to skim the detail. I think the book could have been a lot shorter.
Devyn and Cassandra have a very weird relationship - by the third day of spending time together, they are weirdly groping each other's hair as a way of being intimate. Cassandra seems to fall for Devyn within minutes and it isn't clear why as he is a very frustrating, brooding character who throughout, will not tell Cassandra anything, even though she is important, as are the big decisions she faces. Sometimes I almost screamed at my Kindle, for him to stop being so mysterious and just bloody tell her what she needs to know. He also wants her, but then he doesn't, but then does, but then wants her but can't have her and still I'm not sure why he can't have her?
After the initial, weird stages of their romance, I did grow to like both characters and their relationship as they came into their own. Cassandra became a bit more of a fighter and stands up for herself and what she believes in. Her other love interest Marcus is also a great character, in my opinion, the most interesting and I can't wait to see where the story takes him.
The ending is a major cliff hanger and I will be reading the next book as I expect there will be a lot less world building and more action and romance which I am looking forward to.
As others have said, I think it could potentially do with another edit, and it did have some good aspects, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me. I expected and wanted a lot more action and magic than I got.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy of Secrets of the Starcrossed in exchange for an honest review.
Since this book, I've read a lot more fantasy and find myself comparing to this one! I think I appreciate much more how great this is as a debut and how the story develops. I've therefore upped my rating and I wanted to read the next book anyway, but now I'm looking forward to it even more. I think it's good to be honest and reflect if/when your mind changes.
Original Review
Hmm, this book promised so much but I don't think it fully delivered unfortunately.
Cassandra lives in a dystopian, Romanesque world, in the capital of England, Londinium as one of the 'elite' and has access to all of the finer things in life. She is your typical innocent and oblivious "do gooder" type character. In a world where you are 'matched' at a young age, Cassandra cannot believe her luck that her future husband is Marcus, arguably the most eligible bachelor in Londinium. However, she then meets Devyn, the mysterious boy who has been drifting in the background throughout her school years. Through a random incident, Cassandra finds herself introduced to a whole new world outside of the perfect code she follows. Devyn introduces her to some dangers, chaos and reality about the world outside of the Londinium walls and an insight into who she truly is.
I am so conflicted about whether I enjoyed Secrets of the Starcrossed or not. The history and magic system is extremely confusing and complicated and for me, fills too many pages in this book. Yes, we need story and world building but honestly it was waaay too much for me. I re-read some paragraphs several times and still didn't understand the history or the relevance. It was just too much and a couple of times I felt my eyes glazing over and had to skim the detail. I think the book could have been a lot shorter.
Devyn and Cassandra have a very weird relationship - by the third day of spending time together, they are weirdly groping each other's hair as a way of being intimate. Cassandra seems to fall for Devyn within minutes and it isn't clear why as he is a very frustrating, brooding character who throughout, will not tell Cassandra anything, even though she is important, as are the big decisions she faces. Sometimes I almost screamed at my Kindle, for him to stop being so mysterious and just bloody tell her what she needs to know. He also wants her, but then he doesn't, but then does, but then wants her but can't have her and still I'm not sure why he can't have her?
After the initial, weird stages of their romance, I did grow to like both characters and their relationship as they came into their own. Cassandra became a bit more of a fighter and stands up for herself and what she believes in. Her other love interest Marcus is also a great character, in my opinion, the most interesting and I can't wait to see where the story takes him.
The ending is a major cliff hanger and I will be reading the next book as I expect there will be a lot less world building and more action and romance which I am looking forward to.
As others have said, I think it could potentially do with another edit, and it did have some good aspects, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me. I expected and wanted a lot more action and magic than I got.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy of Secrets of the Starcrossed in exchange for an honest review.
January 10, 2021
ARC provided by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter via Netgalley!
Thank you for NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for this arc in exchange for an honest review! These thoughts and words are my own.
Whew, I am SO happy the next book release is later this year. I NEED more!
In Secrets of the Starcrossed by Clara O'Connor, Cassandra, or Cass, is anxiously waiting until the day she marries the most eligible bachelor she was matched with as a child. Needless to say, everyone envies her and her life is watched with a close eye. Being brought up in a world that strictly abides by The Code, she finds herself playing a dangerous game when it’s revealed that her society, as perfect as everyone raves it to be, may not be all what it seems.
Cassandra is a young adult who is, for a lack of a better word, naive. Who could blame her though? In the society she lives in, the Roman Empire never fell but she finds herself falling head first into the exciting new world with magic, secrets, and a boy with midnight eyes.
The romance alone is enough to keep me going but many of the characters felt very irritable and I found myself screaming at them while turning the pages. Cassandra is very reckless, Devyn is very brooding, and Marcus is set on keeping his own interests above the rest. I wouldn’t necessarily say there is a love triangle, but this novel definitely gave me hardcore The Selection vibes.
As the book progressed, I could hardly tear myself away from it. The world building alone will have me gladly pick up the next installment. Everything felt so real and I was on the edge of my seat, wondering if danger was just a page flip away. But that ending- THAT ENDING- yeah I’ll be the first in line to grab that sequel when it is released.
I do have to say that I wish the main character Cass had a friend she could lean on because it was tough seeing her internalize all her feelings of inadequacy and loneliness when everyone around her treated her like a delicate flower in need of protection. I’m hoping for more character development on her part, more magic, and perhaps seeing what exactly is behind those walls.
What a great start to a series! #omcreads
Thank you for NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for this arc in exchange for an honest review! These thoughts and words are my own.
Whew, I am SO happy the next book release is later this year. I NEED more!
In Secrets of the Starcrossed by Clara O'Connor, Cassandra, or Cass, is anxiously waiting until the day she marries the most eligible bachelor she was matched with as a child. Needless to say, everyone envies her and her life is watched with a close eye. Being brought up in a world that strictly abides by The Code, she finds herself playing a dangerous game when it’s revealed that her society, as perfect as everyone raves it to be, may not be all what it seems.
Cassandra is a young adult who is, for a lack of a better word, naive. Who could blame her though? In the society she lives in, the Roman Empire never fell but she finds herself falling head first into the exciting new world with magic, secrets, and a boy with midnight eyes.
The romance alone is enough to keep me going but many of the characters felt very irritable and I found myself screaming at them while turning the pages. Cassandra is very reckless, Devyn is very brooding, and Marcus is set on keeping his own interests above the rest. I wouldn’t necessarily say there is a love triangle, but this novel definitely gave me hardcore The Selection vibes.
As the book progressed, I could hardly tear myself away from it. The world building alone will have me gladly pick up the next installment. Everything felt so real and I was on the edge of my seat, wondering if danger was just a page flip away. But that ending- THAT ENDING- yeah I’ll be the first in line to grab that sequel when it is released.
I do have to say that I wish the main character Cass had a friend she could lean on because it was tough seeing her internalize all her feelings of inadequacy and loneliness when everyone around her treated her like a delicate flower in need of protection. I’m hoping for more character development on her part, more magic, and perhaps seeing what exactly is behind those walls.
What a great start to a series! #omcreads
November 29, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins One More Chapter for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Set against the backdrop of an alternate history where the Roman Empire never fell, Secrets of the Starcrossed follows the story of soon-to-graduate and secret fiancé of the most-eligible-bachelor-in-the-city Cassandra, a girl who was brought up with the Code and who must now face, for the first time, the knowledge that not all is as it seems.
Right off the bat, this world where modern technology is adapted to the customs of ancient Rome while also coexisting with Celtic magic and traditions sucked me in completely. The setting is so complex, with its weaving in also of elements of Tudor history and Arthurian legend that it is impossible not to be utterly fascinated and want to know more.
Which brings me to the only aspect of the book that made me dock a star from my rating, that is the rather stringent description thereof. As someone who rather likes that bit of infodumping at the beginning of a fantasy novel, since it helps me to really get into the story by knowing a little bit more about the surroundings and history of the place, I was a little disappointed when discovering that here such pieces of information were rather rare, which contributed to the frustration of the main character just as much as it did mine.
On the other hand, a lot of time was dedicated to Cassandra’s own moral dilemmas and pining over her love interest, resulting in a bit of an unbalance between the two aspects. Had the narration been in third person, I feel this might not have been such an issue, but maybe it’s just me.
Nevertheless, the constant internal monologue of Cassandra allowed for a very well-developed internal growth, as the change from frivolous superficial and law-abiding citizen to a more self-aware and independent woman was made even more believable because of its rather slow progression.
Likewise, I really enjoyed her dynamic with the two other main characters, Marcus and Devyn, and I am really looking forward to learning more about them in the next couple of books.
All in all, it really was a good and highly enjoyable read, jam-packed of cleverly placed twists and turns, culminating with a cliffhanger that has me wishing I had the second instalment right now!!
Set against the backdrop of an alternate history where the Roman Empire never fell, Secrets of the Starcrossed follows the story of soon-to-graduate and secret fiancé of the most-eligible-bachelor-in-the-city Cassandra, a girl who was brought up with the Code and who must now face, for the first time, the knowledge that not all is as it seems.
Right off the bat, this world where modern technology is adapted to the customs of ancient Rome while also coexisting with Celtic magic and traditions sucked me in completely. The setting is so complex, with its weaving in also of elements of Tudor history and Arthurian legend that it is impossible not to be utterly fascinated and want to know more.
Which brings me to the only aspect of the book that made me dock a star from my rating, that is the rather stringent description thereof. As someone who rather likes that bit of infodumping at the beginning of a fantasy novel, since it helps me to really get into the story by knowing a little bit more about the surroundings and history of the place, I was a little disappointed when discovering that here such pieces of information were rather rare, which contributed to the frustration of the main character just as much as it did mine.
On the other hand, a lot of time was dedicated to Cassandra’s own moral dilemmas and pining over her love interest, resulting in a bit of an unbalance between the two aspects. Had the narration been in third person, I feel this might not have been such an issue, but maybe it’s just me.
Nevertheless, the constant internal monologue of Cassandra allowed for a very well-developed internal growth, as the change from frivolous superficial and law-abiding citizen to a more self-aware and independent woman was made even more believable because of its rather slow progression.
Likewise, I really enjoyed her dynamic with the two other main characters, Marcus and Devyn, and I am really looking forward to learning more about them in the next couple of books.
All in all, it really was a good and highly enjoyable read, jam-packed of cleverly placed twists and turns, culminating with a cliffhanger that has me wishing I had the second instalment right now!!
October 28, 2020
What if history were just a little different? What if the Roman Empire never fell? Clara O’Connor’s SECRETS OF THE STARCROSSED gives us that scenario and takes us to Londinium where a fragile peace endures and a successful merchant’s daughter is betrothed to the most eligible bachelor in the city. But are they meant to be together or is there something far more political and devious going on?
Cass was supposed to marry Marcus, but she never planned on falling in love with Devyn or to begin to believe in his quest for a girl with magic in her blood.
What starts out as a fascinating tale of an alternate history, young love and standing against all odds gets a little lost along the way as bits and pieces become a little choppy as it takes on a futuristic feel. Cass is naïve, she is entitled and has lived her life in a shell of obedience to all her parents ask of her. Then her eyes are opened by Devyn and from then on, she does become a better character to follow,
I’m not quite sure I believed in the insta-love or the differences in the Devyn Cass thought she knew and the real Devyn. Still, this is a good tale to escape into for a brief time, just not a great tale.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from One More chapter! This is my honest and voluntary review.
Series: The Once and Future Queen - Book 1
Publisher : One More Chapter (January 21, 2021)
Genre: YA Fantasy
Print Length : 445 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Cass was supposed to marry Marcus, but she never planned on falling in love with Devyn or to begin to believe in his quest for a girl with magic in her blood.
What starts out as a fascinating tale of an alternate history, young love and standing against all odds gets a little lost along the way as bits and pieces become a little choppy as it takes on a futuristic feel. Cass is naïve, she is entitled and has lived her life in a shell of obedience to all her parents ask of her. Then her eyes are opened by Devyn and from then on, she does become a better character to follow,
I’m not quite sure I believed in the insta-love or the differences in the Devyn Cass thought she knew and the real Devyn. Still, this is a good tale to escape into for a brief time, just not a great tale.
I received a complimentary ARC edition from One More chapter! This is my honest and voluntary review.
Series: The Once and Future Queen - Book 1
Publisher : One More Chapter (January 21, 2021)
Genre: YA Fantasy
Print Length : 445 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
February 28, 2021
3⭐
I really struggled to get into this one mostly due to the world building being so complex I spent the entire book not really knowing what the hell was going on - I still don't.
I didn't really care for the characters throughout the majority of the book, although this did start to change right at the very end. I found the main character particularly infuriating when she'd ask herself a million and one questions and have answers to none of them.
I feel like the plot didn't really go anywhere and was pretty one note, when things did happen they fizzled out just as quickly, I didn't like the flip flop of emotions throughout, it ended up being overused and quickly became boring.
However, I feel like this one was very much a set up for something that could become a really good series, the ending is intreiging so I'll be interested to pick up the sequel to see if things get going a bit more.
I really struggled to get into this one mostly due to the world building being so complex I spent the entire book not really knowing what the hell was going on - I still don't.
I didn't really care for the characters throughout the majority of the book, although this did start to change right at the very end. I found the main character particularly infuriating when she'd ask herself a million and one questions and have answers to none of them.
I feel like the plot didn't really go anywhere and was pretty one note, when things did happen they fizzled out just as quickly, I didn't like the flip flop of emotions throughout, it ended up being overused and quickly became boring.
However, I feel like this one was very much a set up for something that could become a really good series, the ending is intreiging so I'll be interested to pick up the sequel to see if things get going a bit more.
January 17, 2021
I thank the publisher and Netgalley for the free copy of the book. All opinions are my own. The full review is available on my website.
The story is set in Londinium, in a version of the future in which the Roman Empire never fell. It follows Cassandra, an upstanding citizen of the city, who’s got her whole life mapped out for her. Until destiny throws an outsider at her feet. The story is a blend of technology and magic. While the people of Londinium thrive thanks to the so-called Code and technology, outsiders are known to possess magic. Two cultures, two societies, always at odds, balancing on a very fragile peace treaty. Of course, things go wrong.
Secrets of the Starcrossed was a 3/5 star-read for me. Besides the dubious consent, towards the end, it felt repetitive and predictable. The characters weren’t that memorable, and I can’t say I noticed significant character development over the course of the story. On the bright side, the worldbuilding is quite interesting and engaging. In the end, I have quite the mixed feelings about Secrets of the Starcrossed.
The story is set in Londinium, in a version of the future in which the Roman Empire never fell. It follows Cassandra, an upstanding citizen of the city, who’s got her whole life mapped out for her. Until destiny throws an outsider at her feet. The story is a blend of technology and magic. While the people of Londinium thrive thanks to the so-called Code and technology, outsiders are known to possess magic. Two cultures, two societies, always at odds, balancing on a very fragile peace treaty. Of course, things go wrong.
Secrets of the Starcrossed was a 3/5 star-read for me. Besides the dubious consent, towards the end, it felt repetitive and predictable. The characters weren’t that memorable, and I can’t say I noticed significant character development over the course of the story. On the bright side, the worldbuilding is quite interesting and engaging. In the end, I have quite the mixed feelings about Secrets of the Starcrossed.
Read
December 5, 2020DNF'ed...
Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for this e-arc.
It was very underwhelming, the beginning is just a lot of info-dumping which I struggled to make sense. Slow pace. The setting of this Roman history with technology wasn’t credible. I didn’t like Cassandra and the love interest was just too cheesy, the insta-love scene made me laugh and cringe at the same time.
I wish this was not compared to Grishaverse or Marie Lu as this book is too focused on the romance and not on the fantasy element. It's poor marketing and it makes a disservice to the writer as I see this book having more success with fans of J.L. Armentrout.
Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for this e-arc.
It was very underwhelming, the beginning is just a lot of info-dumping which I struggled to make sense. Slow pace. The setting of this Roman history with technology wasn’t credible. I didn’t like Cassandra and the love interest was just too cheesy, the insta-love scene made me laugh and cringe at the same time.
I wish this was not compared to Grishaverse or Marie Lu as this book is too focused on the romance and not on the fantasy element. It's poor marketing and it makes a disservice to the writer as I see this book having more success with fans of J.L. Armentrout.
Want to read
December 10, 2020I'd like to thank OneChapterMorehc for the proof copy. Really excited to read it. Especially the last part of the description intrigues me.
September 19, 2020
Secrets of the Starcrossed by Clara O'Connor is a futuristic young adult fantasy story that follows a naive, rule-following elite young woman as her life and identity unravel.
It's a trope-y story: love triangle, forbidden love, cold mother, dystopian society, lost heir. But despite the tropes, the magic system and societal structure are unique and intriguing, Arthurian-esque as the blurb describes. I recently read a nonfiction account of ancient Rome and Britannia, so it was super fun to see little Easter eggs of historical facts hidden in this story. It adds a feel of historical fiction that I love and matures the YA mood.
My biggest criticism is the writing itself. I love the story! I adore the characters! But the book is written in 1st person POV only from one character and takes place largely in her head. 1st person POV has a tendency to off very cheesy if the author isn't careful. There's very little dialogue and too much over explaining by the main character to push the story forward, yet not enough world building around the main character to support the claims that she's a societal princess, popular and under scrutiny. There are some missed opportunities, and it reads like it needs another solid edit from an editor.
The characters are in their early 20's and with the inclusion of mild sexually explicit content, this is fully in the "young adult" category, NOT teen fiction. I do criticize that I wish the author had made the characters a little more mature for a New Adult story, or not included the sex and left it for teens. It's a legit and annoying problem that "YA fantasy" rarely seems to know who it's for.
This story has so much potential! It's so creative and fascinating. It's a neat world! Secrets of the Starcrossed would be a 4 star read except that the writing is lacking. I definitely recommend this story and will finish the series! I hope the next books are edited more closely and that we get out of the main character's head more.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins One More Chapter for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review!
It's a trope-y story: love triangle, forbidden love, cold mother, dystopian society, lost heir. But despite the tropes, the magic system and societal structure are unique and intriguing, Arthurian-esque as the blurb describes. I recently read a nonfiction account of ancient Rome and Britannia, so it was super fun to see little Easter eggs of historical facts hidden in this story. It adds a feel of historical fiction that I love and matures the YA mood.
My biggest criticism is the writing itself. I love the story! I adore the characters! But the book is written in 1st person POV only from one character and takes place largely in her head. 1st person POV has a tendency to off very cheesy if the author isn't careful. There's very little dialogue and too much over explaining by the main character to push the story forward, yet not enough world building around the main character to support the claims that she's a societal princess, popular and under scrutiny. There are some missed opportunities, and it reads like it needs another solid edit from an editor.
The characters are in their early 20's and with the inclusion of mild sexually explicit content, this is fully in the "young adult" category, NOT teen fiction. I do criticize that I wish the author had made the characters a little more mature for a New Adult story, or not included the sex and left it for teens. It's a legit and annoying problem that "YA fantasy" rarely seems to know who it's for.
This story has so much potential! It's so creative and fascinating. It's a neat world! Secrets of the Starcrossed would be a 4 star read except that the writing is lacking. I definitely recommend this story and will finish the series! I hope the next books are edited more closely and that we get out of the main character's head more.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins One More Chapter for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review!
October 22, 2020
Yes! This book is just everything!
I’m not great at figuring out what I thought but here I go attempting it anyways. I will try and do this review based on 4 things characters, plot, pace and world building.
Characters-
Our main character Cass or Cassandra. She is kind of okay at the beginning but she comes into her own about half way through.
Devyn ❤️ oh he is just yum! But also in saying that he had a lot of annoying traits that I guess all mysterious characters have. Doesn’t say much, keeps important info to himself, you know what I mean. All the usual stuff.
Marcus...I think he was almost my favourite and most hated character all at the same time. Not going to say much as I don’t want to spoil but I would describe him as a yo-yo character. Like seriously dude... make up your mind.
I think a great thing about this book is that the side characters though they don’t show up often also became interesting parts of the plot. Can’t really go into much details about them as it’s spoilery 😬
Plot-
I loved everything about the plot. The magic element mixed with a tech element was super interesting. Kinda making it a mix between old and new. It’s hard to explain too much about it but I think the author did a wonderful job of mixing them together, and making them enemies. Whilst having sooo many questions for us as readers to make us question things from the beginning. We have mystery, identity crisis, a love story but it’s also something else. Just a fantastic ride.
Pace-
The writing style of this one was wonderful! I think with so many things happening in each and every chapter it was hard not to get swept up in it all. It was easy to follow for the most part. The only thing that sometimes stood in the way was the political side of the story.
Which brings us to the last factor
World building-
I really like the concept of an alternate history of Rome. The Roman Empire never fell! It’s a great world to build on. There is tension between the cities and the ancient kingdoms that surround them. The ancient kingdoms are known as Celts or Britons, the city we are being told the story from is Londinium.
I will say there is A LOT of background told about the history of what happened and why they are in a walled city but I’m not sure some of the depth was necessary. I think it definitely was still really easy to follow without completely grasping the background information. Which is great! You can enjoy the book if you like politics in a book or not. 🤷♀️
Anyhow I have rambled on quite a bit!
In conclusion I like this book and give a big 5 STARS! ⭐️ can’t wait to read the next one🤞
I’m not great at figuring out what I thought but here I go attempting it anyways. I will try and do this review based on 4 things characters, plot, pace and world building.
Characters-
Our main character Cass or Cassandra. She is kind of okay at the beginning but she comes into her own about half way through.
Devyn ❤️ oh he is just yum! But also in saying that he had a lot of annoying traits that I guess all mysterious characters have. Doesn’t say much, keeps important info to himself, you know what I mean. All the usual stuff.
Marcus...I think he was almost my favourite and most hated character all at the same time. Not going to say much as I don’t want to spoil but I would describe him as a yo-yo character. Like seriously dude... make up your mind.
I think a great thing about this book is that the side characters though they don’t show up often also became interesting parts of the plot. Can’t really go into much details about them as it’s spoilery 😬
Plot-
I loved everything about the plot. The magic element mixed with a tech element was super interesting. Kinda making it a mix between old and new. It’s hard to explain too much about it but I think the author did a wonderful job of mixing them together, and making them enemies. Whilst having sooo many questions for us as readers to make us question things from the beginning. We have mystery, identity crisis, a love story but it’s also something else. Just a fantastic ride.
Pace-
The writing style of this one was wonderful! I think with so many things happening in each and every chapter it was hard not to get swept up in it all. It was easy to follow for the most part. The only thing that sometimes stood in the way was the political side of the story.
Which brings us to the last factor
World building-
I really like the concept of an alternate history of Rome. The Roman Empire never fell! It’s a great world to build on. There is tension between the cities and the ancient kingdoms that surround them. The ancient kingdoms are known as Celts or Britons, the city we are being told the story from is Londinium.
I will say there is A LOT of background told about the history of what happened and why they are in a walled city but I’m not sure some of the depth was necessary. I think it definitely was still really easy to follow without completely grasping the background information. Which is great! You can enjoy the book if you like politics in a book or not. 🤷♀️
Anyhow I have rambled on quite a bit!
In conclusion I like this book and give a big 5 STARS! ⭐️ can’t wait to read the next one🤞
November 2, 2020
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy of Secrets of the Starcrossed in exchange for an honest review.
I've gotta be honest, it took me a couple WEEKS to get through the first 4-5 chapters of this book, which is normally not my reading style at all. I think that the description of the book is not super accurate, and I was looking for components that weren't really present at all. Once I got into the swing of this novel though, instead of the ones the blurb compares it to, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. In fact I devoured the rest of the book.
Cassandra is a strait-laced obeyer of societal norms, and the story follows her through her first off track choice into her full realized potential. While the blurb brings in the Grishaverse, the story and world this reminds me the most of is Divergent. Cassandra and Devyn are basically going through a very strict society with divergent traits, but in this story they are magical.
I agree with some of the other reviewers who have said that there are large sections that are just info dumps, and often these were a bit hard to follow, but the story is also clearly a set-up for a longer series. The magic system and government were unique in this book (which is hard to do nowadays), so I think the explanations were effective in that I couldn't have understood the story without the context. Hopefully, the narrative aspect takes off in future books now that the world has been mostly established.
The romance in this book was sweet, confusing, and a bit immature, but that felt organic between Devyn and Cassandra. I never really felt like there was a love triangle with Marcus, and I'm glad that plot device wasn't too heavy handed. I generally like a fair bit of romance mixed into my fantasy reads, but this really wasn't the proponent of the story, and I was barely on board until the middle of the book. The beginning of their relationship starts at the open of the novel, like they have barely ever interacted before, and it felt like there was no rhyme or reason why Cassandra was attracted to Devyn. As the story played out I felt like I understood her motivations more.
Overall, I am looking forward to future stories about our main players, and seeing Cassandra grow, perhaps a bit more independently from her male counterparts. Maybe a stronger female friend character? I will absolutely be looking for future books to continue on!
I've gotta be honest, it took me a couple WEEKS to get through the first 4-5 chapters of this book, which is normally not my reading style at all. I think that the description of the book is not super accurate, and I was looking for components that weren't really present at all. Once I got into the swing of this novel though, instead of the ones the blurb compares it to, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. In fact I devoured the rest of the book.
Cassandra is a strait-laced obeyer of societal norms, and the story follows her through her first off track choice into her full realized potential. While the blurb brings in the Grishaverse, the story and world this reminds me the most of is Divergent. Cassandra and Devyn are basically going through a very strict society with divergent traits, but in this story they are magical.
I agree with some of the other reviewers who have said that there are large sections that are just info dumps, and often these were a bit hard to follow, but the story is also clearly a set-up for a longer series. The magic system and government were unique in this book (which is hard to do nowadays), so I think the explanations were effective in that I couldn't have understood the story without the context. Hopefully, the narrative aspect takes off in future books now that the world has been mostly established.
The romance in this book was sweet, confusing, and a bit immature, but that felt organic between Devyn and Cassandra. I never really felt like there was a love triangle with Marcus, and I'm glad that plot device wasn't too heavy handed. I generally like a fair bit of romance mixed into my fantasy reads, but this really wasn't the proponent of the story, and I was barely on board until the middle of the book. The beginning of their relationship starts at the open of the novel, like they have barely ever interacted before, and it felt like there was no rhyme or reason why Cassandra was attracted to Devyn. As the story played out I felt like I understood her motivations more.
Overall, I am looking forward to future stories about our main players, and seeing Cassandra grow, perhaps a bit more independently from her male counterparts. Maybe a stronger female friend character? I will absolutely be looking for future books to continue on!
November 23, 2020
Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
When I first heard about this book I was totally interested. With star-crossed lovers, ancient magic, and the world on the brink of war- I had high hopes. The plot sounded great and this was a brand new author for me too, so I was equally excited about that.
This book was a classic run-of-the-mill YA Fantasy. I've seen this plot recycled many, many times and this didn't bring anything new to the table for me. The pacing was slow and it had a little too much info dumping for my taste. I wish there was a little bit more development with the world & magic itself in Londinium overall. Some of the history I didn't find relevant and it was confusing to sort through.
Cassandra was a decent MC but her decisions sometimes got the best of her. I also wish there was more maturity since she is in her 20's. I was very wary of the love triangle aspect because it's one of my least favorite tropes. Unfortunately, I just didn't connect with or care about either love interest. I found myself more interested in Cassandra and her own journey instead.
The cliff-hanger ending sets up book 2 to be filled with more action, and that's what a lot of this book was missing for me. This book had potential, and I'm disappointed it never got there.
When I first heard about this book I was totally interested. With star-crossed lovers, ancient magic, and the world on the brink of war- I had high hopes. The plot sounded great and this was a brand new author for me too, so I was equally excited about that.
This book was a classic run-of-the-mill YA Fantasy. I've seen this plot recycled many, many times and this didn't bring anything new to the table for me. The pacing was slow and it had a little too much info dumping for my taste. I wish there was a little bit more development with the world & magic itself in Londinium overall. Some of the history I didn't find relevant and it was confusing to sort through.
Cassandra was a decent MC but her decisions sometimes got the best of her. I also wish there was more maturity since she is in her 20's. I was very wary of the love triangle aspect because it's one of my least favorite tropes. Unfortunately, I just didn't connect with or care about either love interest. I found myself more interested in Cassandra and her own journey instead.
The cliff-hanger ending sets up book 2 to be filled with more action, and that's what a lot of this book was missing for me. This book had potential, and I'm disappointed it never got there.
December 8, 2020
The bad thing about reading ARC is loving the book so much and not having people to share it with!!! Not to mention waiting for publication day and then waiting for next book’s release date!!
This was such a great read. I had a bit of hard time getting into it, especially when Cassandra goes over the history of the Empire. Once she becomes fixated on Devyn, that’s when the fun starts. Throw Marcus into the mix and it’s shaping up to be such a great series.
The story gave me Matched by Allie Condie vibes. Government dictating who to marry, what to buy, what to do, where to go and anyone who deviates from that is a rebel. And of course, there always has to be a rebel group against said government.
Cass is such a great character. She falls for her guy and does just about anything to have him and also keep him safe. Devyn can be a little frustrating but such an interesting setup. Marcus was a curveball. Kind of reminds me of Xander from Matched, perfect boy in the eyes of the government but that’s not really who he is.
This was such a great read. I had a bit of hard time getting into it, especially when Cassandra goes over the history of the Empire. Once she becomes fixated on Devyn, that’s when the fun starts. Throw Marcus into the mix and it’s shaping up to be such a great series.
The story gave me Matched by Allie Condie vibes. Government dictating who to marry, what to buy, what to do, where to go and anyone who deviates from that is a rebel. And of course, there always has to be a rebel group against said government.
Cass is such a great character. She falls for her guy and does just about anything to have him and also keep him safe. Devyn can be a little frustrating but such an interesting setup. Marcus was a curveball. Kind of reminds me of Xander from Matched, perfect boy in the eyes of the government but that’s not really who he is.
May 19, 2021
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me and arc. All opinions remain my own.
Buddy read with Deborah from HillsofBooks.
Before we begin, I apologise if this review reads more as a stream of rant consciousness, rather than an actual cohesive review.
Straight away, I was incredibly frustrated at how often our main character says "I'm not just a pretty girl" alluding to that "not like the other girls trope" that infuriates me. Not a good start, I'm afraid and these frustrations only grew more unbearable. Due to being urked so much in just the first handful of chapters I went to see what other readers had thought and was dismayed at the amount of negative reviews I saw bubbling on the surface.
I got more and more... not frustrated... because I didn't really care that much, but just baffled at ... Well... everything... the insta love confused me. I was getting this connection that was apparently there but also not and had also been like 3 days... then the pacing was weird. In no way did it feel obvious that weeks had passed. Then there was the age thing... I didn't think our main character was in her 20s... I thought I was legitimately reading from the perspective of a 15 year old, what with our main characters' general mannerisms and speech.
I honestly feel like they were aged up so more sexual scenes could be thrown in without it being inappropriate but it was still jarring because they acted so frustratingly young and naive and everything just seemed too random and convenient (I'm looking at you, bed that just so happened to be behind a random table, that wasn't originally mentioned when the room was previously described, but just so happened to be there when some sudden light fornication occurred).
Don't get me started on this brooding, mysterious bad boy situation. I just... *sighs in confused frustration*
"He had literally seduced me back to sanity"... um.. what?
The main character, who's name I keep forgetting, was so infuriating pointing to, what to most people was very obvious, saying "I'm not stupid" and how others' cryptic messages and half sentences didn't fool her... it was obvious what was happening and it just irritated me.
This whole supposed back and fourth word play, keeping information was just none existent.. Everything was so painfully obvious and added to the frustration when our main character was acting like she deduced the situation in quick time.
I definitely found myself skimming and only really paid attention when things were fast paced and action based. I didn't agree with the drugging situation, especially as an excuse for poor behaviour (when really that was their character trait regardless) and feel like more should have been spoken about that and the morality relating to the specifics of being handfasted, and really I feel like everything should have been focused on more neatly rather than building up to a disappointing, but heavily sequel baiting, climax.
After reading the extra content at the back, it saddens me that I felt this way. I can really see how passionate the author is with history and the interest in alternate timelines, however, for me, it just didn't work out and I won't be carrying on with this trilogy.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
Buddy read with Deborah from HillsofBooks.
Before we begin, I apologise if this review reads more as a stream of rant consciousness, rather than an actual cohesive review.
Straight away, I was incredibly frustrated at how often our main character says "I'm not just a pretty girl" alluding to that "not like the other girls trope" that infuriates me. Not a good start, I'm afraid and these frustrations only grew more unbearable. Due to being urked so much in just the first handful of chapters I went to see what other readers had thought and was dismayed at the amount of negative reviews I saw bubbling on the surface.
I got more and more... not frustrated... because I didn't really care that much, but just baffled at ... Well... everything... the insta love confused me. I was getting this connection that was apparently there but also not and had also been like 3 days... then the pacing was weird. In no way did it feel obvious that weeks had passed. Then there was the age thing... I didn't think our main character was in her 20s... I thought I was legitimately reading from the perspective of a 15 year old, what with our main characters' general mannerisms and speech.
I honestly feel like they were aged up so more sexual scenes could be thrown in without it being inappropriate but it was still jarring because they acted so frustratingly young and naive and everything just seemed too random and convenient (I'm looking at you, bed that just so happened to be behind a random table, that wasn't originally mentioned when the room was previously described, but just so happened to be there when some sudden light fornication occurred).
Don't get me started on this brooding, mysterious bad boy situation. I just... *sighs in confused frustration*
"He had literally seduced me back to sanity"... um.. what?
The main character, who's name I keep forgetting, was so infuriating pointing to, what to most people was very obvious, saying "I'm not stupid" and how others' cryptic messages and half sentences didn't fool her... it was obvious what was happening and it just irritated me.
This whole supposed back and fourth word play, keeping information was just none existent.. Everything was so painfully obvious and added to the frustration when our main character was acting like she deduced the situation in quick time.
I definitely found myself skimming and only really paid attention when things were fast paced and action based. I didn't agree with the drugging situation, especially as an excuse for poor behaviour (when really that was their character trait regardless) and feel like more should have been spoken about that and the morality relating to the specifics of being handfasted, and really I feel like everything should have been focused on more neatly rather than building up to a disappointing, but heavily sequel baiting, climax.
After reading the extra content at the back, it saddens me that I felt this way. I can really see how passionate the author is with history and the interest in alternate timelines, however, for me, it just didn't work out and I won't be carrying on with this trilogy.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
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